NEW!! Narrowleaf Beardtongue
Penstemon angustifolius - Perennial
Ohhhh I love this Penstemon. Spectacular!
While common, it's the first. Like early May - lush, prolific blooms in an array of pastels. Robin's Egg, Sky-Blue, even a gentle pink can show up in the stand. Many plants have multiple blooms, younger plants might have only one or two. They are a sight for sore eyes as the snow in the mountains is receding.
Leaves are evergreen, linear, smooth, blue-green, waxy. Likes lean soil; sandy, gravelly, dry slopes of the Steppe. Provides nectar for butterflies.
Deer love this Penstemon because it's so early and they are hungry for the first flower buds. It's taken me years to find enough seed to offer it as they love to eat the thick, juicy stem and robust flower buds right before they bloom. Consider planting under protection. Too bad so sad.
They grow high and low.
Plant in fall or moist stratify for 30 days before sowing. Barely cover the seed or just walk on it after scattering.